A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of electrical power supply. More particularly, the present invention is in the technical field of electrical safety devices and relates to the activation or deactivation of high or medium amperage devices such as batteries, chargers, and the like.
B. Description of the Related Art
In the last 10 to 15 years, industrial, electrical charging has come to rely increasingly on high frequency and fast charging heavy duty batteries. The chargers associated with rapid charging utilize high or medium amperages, making them a comparatively greater electrical hazard than earlier ferroresonant circuits and silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) chargers.
High amperage circuits should be de-energized prior to being connected/disconnected to equipment to minimize the dangers of arc flash, such as injury due to electric shock, burns from high heat, or the failure of electrical equipment parts. Yet safety precautions and instructions regarding the connecting and disconnecting of high and medium amperage sources are not regularly posted at and near such sources to prevent operator errors or negligence. Even when such precautions and instructions are posted, users may not fully recognize the associated dangers. Users are at risk of not remembering or realizing that an amperage source must be de-energized before handling and are at risk of exposure to arc flash or other electrical hazards.
In addition, “hot disconnects” (i.e. severs of energized circuits) can damage equipment and charges, and in some cases, void the warranties for effected equipment. When an electric fault occurs through a hot disconnect, the electrical system is subjected to both thermal and magnetic forces. These forces can severely damage equipment and can be accompanied by fires, explosions, and severe arcing. The costs of repairs, equipment replacements, and medical treatments coupled with lost production and damaged goods can potentially run into millions of dollars in losses.
Furthermore, many connectors for high amperage electrical circuits share a universal design, and the associated couplers for a charger, a battery, and an electric vehicle are often interchangeable, or appear to be interchangeable, with one another. This compatibility can result in a user inadvertently attaching a connector to the wrong receptacle. For example, a connector may be inadvertently attached to the receptacle for an electric vehicle, rather than the receptacle for a battery, so that the battery is not charged. As a result, a forklift battery may fail to charge overnight, and this error can be a costly one due to the loss of production time, and the associated service call needed to put the equipment back into operation.